The European governments from the Netherlands to Spain imposed tough new virus controls on Wednesday, closing bars and restaurants and enforcing local lockdowns in a bid to battle a surge in a new infections from the global pandemic.
With the virus still spreading worldwide, with over one million deaths and nearly 40 million cases, regions like Europe that suppressed the first outbreak are again facing tough choices on how to control a new wave without economically destructive national lockdowns.
President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday ordered a nighttime curfew for Paris and eight other French cities. He said residents of those cities would not be allowed to be outdoors between 9pm and 6am from Saturday, for a duration of at least four weeks, except for essential reasons.
Bars and restaurants will close across Spain’s northeastern Catalonia region for the next 15 days as the country tackles one of the highest rates of infection in the European Union, with nearly 900,000 infections and more than 33,000 deaths. Similar measures came into force across the Netherlands, including restrictions on alcohol sales and new mask requirements, while Northern Ireland announced a four-week closure of pubs and restaurants.
In Britain, Prime Minister Boris Johnson is also under increasing pressure to impose more stringent measures to cut spiralling rates in England, including a two-week “circuit-breaker” lockdown. Johnson said a new UK-wide lockdown would be a “disaster” but refused to rule it out as the government’s science advisory committee endorsed a temporary shutdown.
